Quick! Can you tell me if you knew that there was a multi-racial teenaged
gang terrorizing the west? Only once in a great while does a writer come along
who defies comparison and compromise-- a writer so original, he redefines, or
even gives a different spin the way we interpret historical lore. Leonce Gaiter
is such a writer and The
Rufus Buck Gang’s notorious plumage was such a part of this lore that gives
the author’s new book a sense of virtual reality.

I Dreamt I Was in Heaven is a true story depicting characters that drive
this story beyond the Wild West’s reputation for anything to go awry outside
of the law. But guess what? It does just that! the notorious “Hanging
Judge” Isaac C. Parker, the noted outlaw
Cherokee
Bill, Henry Starr
(a distant relative of Belle Starr) and the ‘gang’ themselves relegates this
turn-of-the-century fare a bit nefarious but manages to give it the edge to
make it a page turning delight. The gist of the story deals with the
government’s self-serving intent on confiscating Indian land under the guise
of a co-opt settlement rendering them sharecroppers for a mere pittance.

The author has gone on record claiming to want to be extraordinary and write
as such, and it’s easy to formulate scenarios where the art of transforming
history to settings that’s able to fictionalize but stay close to the truth.
Mr. Gaiter’s writing style is unique where he gives each character their
chance to impart individual thoughts where retrospect allows the drama to
move rapidly along. The novel opens with a mob gone amok seeking revenge and
retribution toward the recently captured gang under the protection of
marshals awaiting the hanging noose. Flashbacks are used, by the author, to
build a scene that continues until the coda justifies when death comes
knocking. Interesting analogies on the racial makeup of the characters
allows the author to add a train of thought where the Judge uses
transcendental thoughts of Darwin in an attempt to justify his philosophy in
bringing order and civility to the region, while eradicating undesirable
elements.

Inspired by a dream and Cherokee Bill's legacy, Rufus and his teen friends
under false pretension on a misguided and ill-fated rampage erroneously
believing their antics would ignite an Indian uprising to reclaim their
land. For nearly two weeks during the summer of 1895, they instilled
unmitigating fear throughout the land. Their modus oprandi? Murder, rape,
arson, thievery and malicious arson, often having no compassion for the
afflicted. Eventually the gang was captured, but a twist of fate gave reason
for conviction to be served on a single charge of gang raping a white woman!

To understand this story, you’d have to know how
Judge Parker’’s
reputation was bigger than life and how much he was feared...but the author
chose to paint a time frame nearing the end of the Judge’s judicial
influence which covered 74,000 square miles of lawless indian territory
against the backdrop for that extraordinary flare to give this book
credence.

I loved this story for many different reasons. Namely because I’m a
history buff, and secondly, Mr. Gaiter goes deep into the psyches of Rufus,
the Judge and the victims offering poignant and believable angst that gives
the impression that you could’ve been there to witness any scene in the
book. It does a great job in delving into a few of the harsh realities of
the West that yearns to break into the 20th century unscathed. Instead, the
Rufus Buck gang exposed yet, a bit of history that few imagined but turned
out to be real. Sadly to say, the violence and injustice that shaped
America's westward expansion was but a small part of why native Americans in
general, and people of color specifically suffered but didn’t stand still to
allow status quo.

This book is particularly recommended for history buffs with an interest
in the Wild West, Native and African-American History, and how a little-know
fact shaped a dream!